Cleaning device for ore-sintering machines



@cit. 2, 1923.

- 7 R. L. LLOYD CLEANING DEVI-GE FOR ORE SINTERING MACHINES '2 shets sheet Original Filed Oct. 25. 1919 .Qcfc. 2, 1923.

CLEANING R. L. LLOYD DEVICE FOR ORE SINTERING MACHINES Original Filed Oct. 25 1919 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Get. 2, 1923.

UNHTEID STATES meagre PATENT @FFMCE.

RICHARD L. LLOYD, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOR T0 DWIGHT & LLOYD SINTERING COMPANY, OF NEW YORK. N. Y.. A CQRJPORATION OF DELAWARE.

CLEANING DEVICE FOR ORE-SINTERING MACHINES.

Application filed October 25, 1919, Serial No. 333,358. Renewed February 23, 1923.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, RICHARD L. LLOYD, citizen of the United States, residing at New York, in the county of New Yorkand State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Im rovements in Cleanin Devices for Oreintering Machines, 0 which the following is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawing.

This invention relates to mechanism for cleaning the grates or open bottoms of carriers or supports for material, such as are employed in apparatus for roasting and sintering fine ore, wherein carriers with perforated bottoms are moved successively past a feeding device, 'and then through a region where combustion within the mass takes place, then to a place where the treated material is discharged, usually by inverting the carriers, and finally back to the place of starting to be again filled, thus moving in a'cycle. In the course of the travel ofthe carriers they pass through a region where air or other combustion-supporting gas is caused to pass transversely through the material to maintain the desired internal combustion therein, and unless the perforations in the'grate are kept open the draft is interfered with and the operation of the apparatus is not satisfactory. The invention has for its object to clean out the openings in the grates or supports should they become clogged up.

In the accompanying drawings- Figure 1 is a top plan view of an appal'illlllls to which my invention may be app ied.

Figure 2 is a side view thereof.

Figure 3 is a plan view on an enlarged scale of the feeding end of the apparatus, illustrating the grate-cleaning mechanism, parts being omitted.

Figure 4 is a side view of part of the apparatus shown in Fig. 3, parts being in vertical section and other parts broken away.

Figure'5 is a detail view of one of the cleanin bars detached.

' 2 in lcates the framework of the apparatus which may be of any approved construction. The pallets that carry the material are moved along the framework, being supported upon tracks 4 in the upper part of the apparatus while the material which they carry is being treated, and upon tracks 5 in the lower part during their return movements from the discharge to the head end of the apparatus. The pallets are moved slowly by the large sprocket wheels 7, driven from any suitable source and through appropriate speed reducing mechanism. At the head end of the machine, and adjacent to the driving sprocket wheels 7 is a feed hopper 6, from which material to be treated is delivered successively to the pallets or carriers 3. Such material may be fine ore carrying a combustible content, though the invention is not limited to use in connection with ore treating apparatus. The drive wheels 7 are provided with sprocket teeth 10 arranged to engage with lateral projections 17 (see Fig. 3) carried. by the pallets. As the pallets pass from the lower tracks 5 to the upper ones,4, being lifted by the wheels 7, they are held in proper engagement with the latter by the guide rails 11-, concentric with the wheels.

The pallets are provided with perforate rates 12 upon which the material delivered rom the hopper 6 rests, the openings through the grate being so arranged, and of a size, as to suit the material intended to be carried and treated. The pallets after being filled, and while moving along the tracks 4, pass over the open ends of one or more air boxes 8 which are connected with suitable air moving apparatus. The air box arrangement shown is typical of means for inducing air or combustion-supporting gases to pass through the material upon the grates. The material after being properly treated is discharged at the end 18 of the apparatus by inverting the pallets. This discharge of the material will more or less perfectly clear the openin in the grates 12 ut it always happens t at some material remains lodged therein, and to insure that the movement of'air through the mass of material be uniform, it is important that the perforations through the grates should be-maintained open. The following means for insuring this are employed. 14, 14 indicate a series of separate bars loosely supported upon a cross bar 13 extending transversely across the machine, preferably above the drive wheels 7 and supported at its ends by brackets 9. The cleaner bars 14 extend in an inclined direction from the cross bar 13 downward to the grates 12, upon which their lower ends rest. The lower ends of these bars carry cleaning fingers 15, which are shaped to enter the openings in the grates, being preferably narrower than the bars as represented in the drawing. T he rear ends of the bars are provided with hooks 16 that loosely engage with the cross bar 13, in order that should there be anybackward movement of a pallet these bars whose lower ends may at the instant of such movement be lying in the grate openings will not be broken, but will be merely thrown off their support without damage to any part of the apparatus. The cleaning bars 14 are ponderous and their free ends bear upon the grate surface with considerable force. The rear faces of the cleaning fingers are inclined as represented in Figs. 4 and 5 so that, as the grates are carried under-them, by the movement of the pallets in the direction of the arrow, Fig. 4c, the forward ends of the bars are alternately raised as the solid parts of the grate pass, and are let fall as the openings through the grate come in line with the fingers. Bars 14 are preferably of difierent lengths so'that the cleaning fingers are in staggered relation to each other, the result being that the bars are alternately raised and lowered, the fingers thereof drop-ping into the openings, forcibly ejecting therefrom any material that may have accumulated therein and jarring the grates.

What I claim is:

1. In an ore sintering or similar machine, the combination of the'movable apertured ore support and automatically movable cleaners adapted to enter the apertures in the said support after the ore is discharged.

2. In an ore sintering or similar machine, the combination of the apertured ore support and automatically acting reciprocating aeaaao cleaners arranged to positively dislodge material from the apertures in the said support.

3. In a sinterin or similar apparatus, the combination of t e apertured ore support and reciprocating gravity-actuated cleaners adapted to positively dislodge material from the apertures in said support.

4. ln a sintering or similar apparatus, the combination of the apertured ore support, and automatically acting cleaners moved in one direction in timed relation with the movement of the support'and automatically movable in the other direction to positively dislodge material in the apertures in said support.

5. In a sinterin or similar apparatus, the combination of tlie apertured ore support, and a series of loosely mounted independent cleaners movable in timed relation with the movement of the ore support and adapted to enter the apertures therein.

6. In a sintering or similar ap aratus, the combination with the aperture movement of the ore support, of cleaners for the apertures in said support each being mountedv to be normally. movable in timed relation with the movement of the ore support and to be antomaticall thown out of action upon the occurrence 0 abnormal movements of the ore support.

7. The combination of the movable apertured support adapted to carry a layer of ore, means for discharging the ore from the support, automatically acting cleaning devices adapted to enga e with the ore support .at points near the apertures and to expel from the latter the ore remaining in them after the layer is discharged.

lln testimony whereof ll aflix my si nature.

. RICHARD L. L YD. 

